Harmonize the behavior between apps and SoundMenu/MessagingMenu indicators

Registered by Didier Roche-Tolomelli

In lucid, was implemented the fact that rhythmbox has a smart "close" feature:
- if you hit the close button in the decorator while rhythmbox is doing nothing, it closes indeed
- if you hit the close button while rhythmbox is playing, it's hiding completely from the desktop, and you can get it back by the soundmenu.

related to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SoundMenu and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MessagingMenu
This blueprint will discuss how we can get the same behavior in the messaging menu applications.

Blueprint information

Status:
Complete
Approver:
Martin Pitt
Priority:
Medium
Drafter:
Didier Roche-Tolomelli
Direction:
Needs approval
Assignee:
Didier Roche-Tolomelli
Definition:
Approved
Series goal:
Accepted for natty
Implementation:
Implemented
Milestone target:
None
Started by
Didier Roche-Tolomelli
Completed by
Didier Roche-Tolomelli

Related branches

Sprints

Whiteboard

GOAL
====
In the term of "finish and polish", we determine the difference between the messagingmenu and the soundmenu: some are view as a service (like sound service), others as applications (as mail app). So, the only work to finish the work on the soundmenu is to ensure we get the same behavior in rhythmbox and banshee (new default) with the "hide on close" introduced in maverick. Also, we will engage developers to think about ui state save between sessions.

Work items (natty-alpha-3):
See with rhythmbox and banshee people if we can keep the same state across session (like, if you pause, your launch it again, it's still paused on the same music): DONE
[ivanka] Test if any graphical hint that rhythmbox or banshee will not be closed but will be hidden: DONE

Work items (ubuntu-11.04-beta-1):
[mpt] Post on design.canonical.com about ui state between sessions for all applications: DONE
File->Quit to be renamed File->Close to have the same behavior as the quit button in both rhythmbox and banshee (blocked with upstream discussion): POSTPONED

-----------------------------------------
Initial Notes (see plan of record):
-----------------------------------------

Note that clicking on File -> Close should have the same behavior, which isn't the case as of today.

This behavior if different from "minimise", as you don't get it in the window list, don't get it in the alt + tab, neither in the workspace global view. To quit rhythmbox, we have to bring it up again, stop the music and click on close.

Hiding from the taskbar should, in the unity word for ubuntu-netbook, hide it from the launcher (for the same rationale that we remove the hidden window: don't get the same info twice). Needs some confirmation from design. Is that valid even if the application is pinned in the launcher? What happens?

We should do the same with vlc/banshee and all apps supported in the soundmenu.

That would be great to expand this behavior and being more coherent with the messaging menu (this is already more or less the same for empathy):
- for evolution, clicking on close will just hide the UI (as it's long to load), and we still get notification of new emails. We can bring it back on screen, on the current workspace, using the indicator.
- maybe get an option to close it from the indicator then?

The evolution-indicator only show the number of new emails from the last time evolution was focused. Is it a bug or by design (don't find any trace of that in the spec)?

On another note, we should able to change the messaging menu icon color depending on the action:
- some action needs later reply (like emails, rss feeds, microblogging messages)
- other needs immediate reply like receiving an empathy call
-> What to do with instant messaging conversation?

-----------------------------
 note from the session:
-----------------------------

sound is seen as a service, not messaging applications.
but there is still some confusion standing there for the users.

Can we have any hint that closing when playing a music is going to not close it?
-> some tests on that is needed (see on the bug).

Pause button in rhythmbox can be confusing.

in unity:
we still get the menu, when clicking on close when playing a music, the launcher doesn't show the launcher anymore, which make sense as a service.

POR:
- nothing to do with messaging menu applications as not seen as a desktop service
- File->Quit to be renamed File->Close to have the same behavior as the quit button
- subscribe design team to the bug report.
- See with rhythmbox and banshee people if we can keep the same state across session (like, if you pause, your launch it again, it's still paused).
- Post on design.canonical.com about ui state between sessions.

API for applications developer to do that easier.

pitti, 2010-11-03: Thanks for dropping the idea of not actually quitting evolution. It eats a lot of memory, and also getting notifications about new email all the time is not actually productive for people who get more than 10 emails a day. :-)

I have some doubts about keeping the state of play/pause across restarts or RB/Banshee. Other programs don't do that either (except perhaps the tabs in firefox if you enable this behaviour). But the general paradigm for applications is to start in a well-known and defind state. Has this been discussed with upstream?

didrocks, 2010-11-03: No, it's not has been discussed yet, the plan is mpt's one to post on design.canonical.com about ui state being stored between sessions for all applications as a start point of discussion with different upstream. We just want to experiment first on banshee/rhythmbox to have some early feedbacks.

(?)

Work Items